


drink.... but very carefully

by gwmclintock88



Series: Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster - Skimmons Week 2015 [8]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Kidnapping - just kidding!, jemma is inhuman
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-03
Updated: 2018-03-03
Packaged: 2019-03-26 07:16:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13852758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gwmclintock88/pseuds/gwmclintock88
Summary: What started as a good date ended in what she thought was the stomach flu and an abduction. At least Daisy got to talk to another cute girl, even if said girl was the one trying to interrogate her.(a.k.a. the one where SHIELD never found Skye, but the world kept turning)





	drink.... but very carefully

**Author's Note:**

> So, this took way longer to finish then I wanted to. Way longer. But I finished it and I'm happy with where this ended. Its not my best story but it is the story I wanted to tell. Just like the others in this series, I may come back to it or I may not.
> 
> Also, I was trying something different here with the the POV. I'm not sure how it turned out, here it is. Let me know what you think and if it is something worth coming back to. 
> 
> Enjoy.

            Daisy wasn’t quite sure how this all happened. The night before she was on a date that kind of worked out, and maybe could go somewhere, but her body felt on fire. It had to be the fish she ate. Damn thing was undercooked, she knew it. It’s what she got for eating raw fish, well, technically it wasn’t raw since it was ceviche and all that, but still, it wasn’t a way to end the night.

            “Miss…Pouts?” She sat up, taking in the room. White geometrical designs covered the walls. In fact, everything was white.  

            “Where am I?”  She felt her hands shaking. “What the hell did you do to me?” She clenched her hands, pushing down on the cot they gave her. Sadly, that cot was actually better than some of her beds over the years.

            “Miss Pouts - “

            “Daisy,” she said, closing her eyes and wishing herself awake. “My name is Daisy Johnson.”

            “Miss Johnson, we believe you ate some…tainted meat,” the female voice said in a British accent. 

            She wrapped her still shaking hands around her quaking stomach. “No kidding.”

            “We were able to pick you up before something went wrong.” Daisy turned on her side, trying to glare at the ceiling. “I apologize: before something went worse.”

            “Worse? How can this get any worse?” Daisy groaned. Her body felt like it would explode, splitting apart at the seams.

            The voice paused before responding. “Oh God, oh God, we’re all going to die?”

            Daisy laughed around her pain, smiling a grimace as she tried to hold herself together. “You watch Firefly?”

            “Yes, I did,” the voice said, sounding giddy. “I kind of fell in love with Zoe, and well – oh, sorry, Director Coulson wishes to speak with you right now.”

            “Who?” She definitely liked the voice. “And can I get a bucket, or I’m going to barf on your very clean floor. Seriously, how do you keep it this clean?” She rolled onto her back, groaning as another wave rushed through her.

            “Miss…Johnson, I am Director Coulson,” a male voice said.

            “Good for you,” Daisy muttered through clenched teeth. “What’s that got to do with kidnapping me over bad fish?”

            “We believe the fish was contaminated with something call Terrigen mists,” Coulson said.

            “That like _e. coli_?” Daisy asked, grunting the question out over one particular bad blast. The pain started to settle a bit after that, letting her relax, but she remained tense as the situation finally fell onto her.

            “No,” Coulson said. “Terrigen mists are a transformative chemical, and recently contaminated the eco-system. We believe the fish you ate were among those contaminated.”

            “So it’s making me sick?” Daisy said. The waves crashing through her body subsided, letting her at least sit back up.

            “We think so,” Coulson said after several seconds. “We have some ideas of how to help you, but it going to take some time.”

            “What about Linda?”  Daisy asked. “She had the fish too. She okay?” She was met with more silence. She didn’t have the greatest time, but if Linda was sick, then it was her fault since she picked the restaurant. “Please. I can take the truth. You owe me that for kidnapping me.”

            “Miss MacIntyre unfortunately passed away shortly after concluding your evening,” the female voice said after a few long moments of silence.

            “So, this can kill me then,” Daisy said, resigned to dying.

            “No, we don’t believe so,” the female said. “In fact, you should be okay. Just…different.”

            “Different how? And can you get me something for the shakes? It feels like withdrawal all over again.” She wrapped her arms around her waist, trying to stop the feeling of falling apart.

            There was some more silence, and then the sound of a vacuum being opened. Daisy turned to see a woman step in wearing a lab coat and some kind of very fetching jumpsuit underneath. Daisy watched her body move the short steps to her side.  Her hips swayed a little with her stride. She held up a gun of some sort, with an odd blue liquid at the end of it. It looked like it was supposed to be fired into her. “This is a serum to help your body stabilize. It should reduce the…shakes.”

            “I usually ask a lady’s name before she sticks me with something,” Daisy said, earning a blush from the pretty face. And a smile.

            “Jemma. Jemma Simmons,” she said. “May I?” She motioned to Daisy’s arm, only grabbing her when she received a nod. Unfolding her arm, she swabbed the area before sticking her with the gun. A sharp pinch later, Daisy watched at the liquid disappeared from the gun.

            “Freaky,” she mumbled when Jemma let go. She rubbed the area as whatever it was went through it. She felt cold, but it passed quickly. As did the feeling of shaking. “Did this cure me?”

            Jemma’s smile turned sad, and the hand holding hers moved to start to rub her shoulder. “No. Unfortunately, we don’t know how to reverse the process. Currently, I do not believe it can be reversed but we are continually looking for a solution.”

            “Has…have other people eaten bad fish?” Daisy asked.

            “Yes, well, sort of. What do you know of SHIELD?”

            Daisy’s eyebrows raised. “Okay. That’s kind of out of nowhere. Ummm…they’re the group that kind of tried to take over the world, right?”

            Jemma huffed, but she wasn’t angry. “No, well. Technically those were SHIELD agents, but they worked for HYDRA.”

            “And the difference is?”

            “The difference is that HYDRA attempted to take over the world, while we attempted to stop them,” Jemma said. “For now, that’s all I can talk about it. We are going to be going to be moving you to a safer room. One with a few more amenities.”

            “So, you kidnap me, and now you are keeping me in prison,” Daisy said, tugging her arm away. “Thanks, but no thanks. I’d like to go home now.”

            Jemma stood back up, staring down at her. “Unfortunately, until you have control over your abilities, we will be unable to release you. For your own protection.”

            “Yeah, SHIELD are the good guys,” Daisy laid back down and turned away from her. Jemma stood there for a few more seconds before walking out the door.

            Her life changed completely, all because of some damn fish. If she wanted trouble, she would have kept hacking secret databases. Her body still shook, vibrating a little and she felt the vibrations from her bed, the sheets, the sleepwear (thank God she wore something other than a t-shirt and panties the night before). God, what the hell happened to her life?

Jemma glanced over her shoulder as she left, watching the girl in the cell. It never got easier, talking with someone who just went through the changes. And ever since she returned from wherever the monolith sent her, Coulson asked her to take charge of the Welcome Wagon. It certainly was the most ambitious project he ever asked of her, but one she was uniquely suited for: She was on the Index too, much like Mary Sue – Daisy Johnson now was.

            “First thoughts?” Coulson stood just outside, waiting for her.

            “She…she will be difficult to deal with, sir,” Jemma said. She played with the gun in her hands, trying not to think about how hurt Daisy looked when she basically admitted to holding the younger girl hostage. “We will need to be honest with her if we want her cooperation.”

            “You think we will need it?” Coulson asked, motioning her to walk with him.

            “Yes, if her abilities extend beyond to just destroying the bar she was living above,” Jemma said. “She could tip things in our favor, given the ATCU and HYDRA. Along with whatever it was that attacked me and Mack while speaking with Lincoln.”

            Coulson nodded. “Will you be meeting with her, or Bobbi?”

            “I will,” Jemma said. The image of those sad eyes looking up at her stayed with her. “She…she needs someone she can trust here.”

            “Alright, just be careful.” Coulson left her alone in the hanger. When they got back to the base, she’d oversee the transfer. Fitz would want to talk about this, talk about them, and right now, that was the last thing she wanted to do.

            Instead, she took a seat on the on a box nearby, reviewing the information they had on Mary Sue Poots. First things she did was alter the name to reflect the one Daisy provided. It called into suspect everything they had, which was sparse considering the world they lived in.

            Orphaned as a baby, she grew up in various foster homes – moved by orders of SHIELD, which now that she was aware of the Inhumans made sense. Daisy supposedly was the child of one Inhuman, Jiaying. Jemma met with her briefly before Afterlife decided to attack SHIELD, well, the _real_ SHIELD (it was complicated to say the least). But Daisy wasn’t involved with any of that. A surveillance review showed Daisy meeting with an older man briefly during this time frame, the surveillance a holdover from Fury’s directives.

            Daisy possessed a high school education, and some indication of skill with computers though nothing extensive. She worked as a bartender and a short order cook. Beyond that, anything would be too intrusive – though she considered the surveillance unnecessary and invasive. She sent a message to Coulson to remove the command.

**I0I**

“Really? I move from one cell to a slightly larger one?” Daisy said as she stepped out of the cell they brought her in.

            “This one has a television. And a computer.” Jemma pointed out both features.

            “And more surveillance,” Daisy said, not even bothering to look around. Jemma didn’t attempt to deny the accusation, though the security was there for as much her own protection as the rest of the base. “So, what, I just live here for the rest of my life? How is this not prison?”

            “Once you have control over your abilities we will re-evaluate your position here,” Jemma said.

            “So long as you don’t hurt anyone,” Mack said, earning a glare from Jemma.

            “And you are again?” Daisy turned to look at Mack, glaring at him too. Jemma shook her head, silently praying for Mack to shut up. His tendency to defensively posture against threats, while sweet, did nothing to reduce the tensions the Inhumans felt when arriving here. If anything, Mack’s glares set Daisy further away from accepting their help. The woman moved about, glancing over her shoulder as she did and cradled her waist as she walked. “The muscle?”

            “Technically, she’s the muscle,” Mack pointed at Jemma, forcing Daisy to stare at her. Jemma blushed under the scrutiny.

            “Then why are you here?” Daisy asked, not asking the obvious question, though Jemma wasn’t sure her response would have been if Daisy asked it. Jemma watched her grip her sides, holding her hands close to her body. Her fists were clenched, but she wasn’t shaking like she had been before when they first met. She walked around the room, not touching anything, but taking it all in.

            “Just procedure,” Mack said without looking up from the clipboard he brought in. “We’ve got a few more questions for you, if you don’t mind.”

            Daisy sat down on the edge of the bed. “Not like I have much of a choice.”

            “We just want to know what happened,” Jemma said. She moved so Daisy could look at her and only her. Mack was antagonizing her, unintentionally, but they didn’t need that right now while Daisy still didn’t have control of her powers, whatever they were.  “Can you tell us about your…date?”

            Daisy closed her eyes, maybe recalling what happened, but if her melancholy expression indicated anything, then the date must have not been good. “We’ve know each other for a while, and well, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to give it a chance you know?”

            “We don’t need to know this,” Mack said, taking a step closer.

            “Hush,” Jemma said, motioning him to step back.  He did, thankfully, letting Daisy concentrate on her rather than trying not to kill Mack. “So, did you ask her or did she ask you?”

            “She asked me, and well, we went there because a friend of ours said they served good ceviche,” Daisy said, shrugging her shoulders. “And they did. A little expensive, but it was good. Except for the whole killing her, and turning me into whatever the hell I am.” She sat on the bed looking every bit the lost little girl. Jemma resisted the urge to surround her in a hug.

            “Inhuman,” Jemma supplied. “That’s what we call ourselves.”

            “So you’re one too?” Daisy moved her arms away from her body, using them to hold her up on the bed.

            “Yes,” Jemma said. “Though my…change wasn’t quite like yours. I didn’t know until it happened either.”

            “You mean you didn’t kill everyone who lived in your building?” Daisy said, giving her a disbelieving look. Jemma shared a glance with Mack, biting her lip as she tried to figure out a response. “You guys weren’t exactly subtle about picking me up. What’s worse is I was in the rubble of my building, and you guys still couldn’t be subtle about it.”

            “We had to act quickly, as there are several groups out there attempting to harm Inhumans,” Jemma said.

            “So harming me is a no-no, but kidnapping is okay,” Daisy said. She let out a long breath, trying to calm down. “You guys seriously have fucked up priorities. What else? I mean, you know I ate the fish, can probably track it through their distributor and stuff. So what else do you need from me?”

            Jemma shared a glance with Mack. Each interaction was different, though admittedly this was their third Inhuman they saved. They had initially removed a tainted fish oil supply, but given that people were actually eating the fish, there wasn’t much they could do about beyond assisting those changed.

            “We just want to make sure you are safe,” Jemma said. She wanted to reach out, lay a comforting hand on the woman, but now wasn’t the time for that. “Before…when we first became aware of the Terrigen Mists, I believed it was something to be…destroyed. Something dangerous we needed to control. But now…now I know I was wrong.

            “Inhumans were designed to be weapons, but anything can be a weapon. We just have a leg up on guns,” Jemma said, giving her a wry smile. “There is so much we can learn and do from Inhumans. The leaps forward are astonishing, but only when we proceed with caution. I know you still have a lot of questions, and I know it’s going to be difficult for you to adjust to this, but we are going to do everything in our power to help you.”

            Daisy sat up and arched her eyebrow.  “I’m assuming included in this deal is a one-way ticket to hell if you can’t?”

            Jemma stood from her seat, sighing. She turned so Daisy wouldn’t see the hurt flash across her face at the accusation. At one point, that may have been her response, but now after everything life threw at her, she couldn’t condemn another for something she was – nor did she want to condemn any of them. “I can’t make you trust us, Daisy. That will take time, and unfortunately, you will have plenty of it while you learn to control your abilities. This room is protected from them, designed to prevent you from hurting others.”

            “But not myself,” Daisy added. Jemma let out a sigh. Everything Daisy interjected with had been accurate, but the girl obvious hated the situation she was in. It wasn’t a pleasure cruise for any of them. Her attitude wouldn’t make the transition any easier, and certainly would prolong her time in quarantine.

            “If you need anything, you can use that computer to send a message to us. As long as we’re not on a mission -”

            “Kidnapping more people or such.”

            “- then we will respond in a timely manner,” Jemma finished. “We will let you get situated. Again, you may access the television or the computer.” She pointed them both out before leaving as fast as she could without making it look like she fled the room.

            Mack caught up with her as she headed toward the lab. “Everything alright there?”

            “I am beginning to doubt our ability to get her to cooperate,” Jemma said. She liked Mack, working with him was easy, even if he preferred to work with Fitz and seemed weary of all alien related things, including her. “From an objective standpoint, our system works, but I understand her perception of everything.”

            “It’s what we get for trying to control people,” Mack said. Jemma sighed, knowing the truth but not wanting to admit it. There was an inherent fault in their system, but what choice did they have? Of the lesser evils, Coulson chose this one. “We just need to give her space.”

            “You’re right,” Jemma nodded in agreement. “I will check back in tomorrow, and see if she needs anything. Or how she is adjusting.”

            “She’s going to have to start controlling herself soon,” Mack said before Jemma could run off. “I know it’s early, but if she doesn’t, even the box can’t hold her.”

            “We’ll figure something out,” she said turning back to the lab. She needed to review things with Fitz on their current attempts to safely activate the Monolith without Jemma being in the room.

            Daisy closed out of the closed circuit feed she hacked into. Leaving her with a computer was stupid, but they really didn’t know what she could do with it. It took her seconds to mask her entry and then to loop some images of her searching for cats online. From there, she found the security system and was able to watch as Jemma and Mack left.

            If they felt it necessary to spy on her, well, she deserved to provide them the same courtesy. Plus, she’d get bored of the cat pictures soon enough and having access to all of SHIELD secrets could be fun. She’d have to tread lightly, at least until she got better hacks into place. Onto the personnel files.

**I0I**

Coulson frowned at the report on their newest Inhuman. From all surveillance on her, she spent most of her time on the computer, surfing the Internet or watching television, but the physical parameters of her tests indicated differently. Beyond her initial issues with control, Daisy Johnson steadily improved in almost every capacity – except her attitude. She’d barely cooperated with them, though the reports indicated her control extended beyond what she could show. She was an enigma, and he hadn’t decided how he felt about that yet.

            “This accurate?”

            Simmons nodded from her spot in front of his desk. “Her level of control is astounding, especially given her reluctance to work with us.”

            “Have you spoken to her about that?”

            “I have tried to, but she has shut down on most avenues of communication,” Simmons said. “She had indicated a preference for certain foods, usually through the messaging system, but as of yet, we have not had much in the way of conversations.”

            Coulson looked up, sighing as he realized the decision he needed to make wouldn’t be well received. “If she doesn’t start talking about her process, then we will need to continue holding her.”

            “But sir –“

            “Part of the evaluation is how she reacts. Right now, all we know is that she’s closed off. Uncommunicative does not help her, nor does it help others like her,” Coulson said, rubbing the bridge of his forehead. “We want to help the Inhumans. We want them to have as normal of a life as possible, but with everything going on –“

            “You kidnap me instead.” Daisy smiled as she watched both the Director and Jemma jump. She’d cut into the security feed, rerouted it through their monitor, and now streamed directly into the office.

            “What? How?” Jemma stumbled over the words as Coulson glared at her.

            “Really? You leave me alone with a computer, and you know I have a history of hacking,” Daisy said, rolling her eyes. “Seems like for a spy agency you really don’t do your homework.”

            “Our analysis did not indicate this level of ability,” Coulson said. He thought of reaching for the Box, closing out of the feed, except any communication with Johnson would end there.

            “I stopped openly hacking only a few months after the whole Avengers thing. Seemed like you were going to have a hard on for me if I didn’t try to stay under wraps a bit.” Daisy’s smile morphed into a thin line as she glared at them. “Turns out I was right.”

            “We do apologize Miss Johnson, but we are just trying to keep you safe,” Coulson tried to reason. “We were unsure how your abilities worked or what you could do.”

            “Well do you now. So how about letting me out of this cage?” Daisy said. She could do it herself, but that would involve more time and the cabin fever was setting in. There was only so many hours a person could stand looking at cat pictures online. 

            “If you tell me how long you’ve been spying on us?” Coulson asked, ignoring Jemma’s silent plea to not ask that.

            “I could, but I won’t,” Daisy said, still glaring at him. “You haven’t given me a reason to trust you guys yet, and really, keeping me here indefinitely because I refuse to play ball with the people who kidnap me?”

            Jemma shook her head, jumping in on the conversation. “We didn’t kidnap you, we -”

            “Removed me from a location without my permission and restrained me,” Daisy said, shifting those angry eyes to her. Jemma stared back, not fidgeting from under her gaze. “That’s the definition of kidnapping.”

            “You are correct Miss Johnson,” Coulson said, startling Jemma. “What can we do to help solve this problem?” His response pushed forward the conversation, rather than letting them get bogged down in the disagreements. Daisy’s powers potentially could tip the scale in their favor, but more importantly, could be used against her and any other Inhuman in the wrong hangs. His hands, or rather hand, pushed several bad choices on his agents, but this one, this one felt right.

Coulson didn’t possess Fitz’s, Simmon’s, or Bobbi’s mental acuity, or May’s physical perceptions.  His skills aligned more with Hunter and Mack, soldiers playing their roles as needed. But his decisions always bore fruit. Sometimes it was rotten, but the results could not be argued with. Even Fury admitted to his successes, given that Iron Man likely wouldn’t be a part of the Avengers without his assistance. Now, he just needed to convince another loner to join a team. And after Stark, this one definitely should be easier.

            “I’ve passed your tests, and I know you’re not twiddling your thumbs trying to think about what else to do with me,” Daisy said. She kept glaring at them, her eyes trying to burn a hole through the computer screen. Jemma attempted to maintain eye contact, but kept glancing away from the anger etched in her eyes. It wasn’t supposed to be like this.

            Helping Inhumans was her attempt at redemption: Her initial perceptions reflected her anger and fear, and well, it almost lead to the dark side, what with trying to find a way to stop them. To destroy them. Time and the efforts of Jiaying’s people changed that, though Jiaying inadvertently confirmed her initial hypothesis. Given the parameters of the thought experiment changed, Jemma changed her perceptions accordingly, allowing her to reevaluate how to best solve the problem. And in truth, Inhumans were a problem, and she was a problem. Only this solution did not appear to be any less appealing than the destruction one.

            “For starters, how about letting call my dad?” Daisy offered.

            “Your father?” Coulson glanced down at the file Jemma handed him earlier. There were no indications of a father, and all SHIELD surveillance indicated Daisy was an orphan.

            Daisy rolled her eyes, glaring at them both. “My father is probably going crazy right now, and when I say ‘crazy,’ I mean it. He’s a good guy but whatever my mom did to him really fucked him up. So how about it? I call him, stop the whole mass murdering thing. Again.”

            “Again?” Jemma asked. She turned her attention down to the computer pad in her hand. She began to scroll through Daisy’s file for any indication of her father, but nothing. “Who…who is your father?”

            “Like I’d tell you,” Daisy said.

            “A call to him can be arranged,” Coulson said, interrupting before Daisy could get really angry. If her powers responded as others did, then maybe heightened emotions were not ideal. “We could also arrange a meeting. If you agree to return with us.”

            “Why would I want to return?” Daisy said, having finally switched her glare to him. Jemma let out a sigh, relaxing a little now that those angry eyes weren’t upon her. Coulson appeared unfazed at them, which Jemma freely admitted to being jealous of.

            “Because you could help us,” Jemma jumped in before Coulson could. “This…our approach. It’s not working. If you helped us, we could make it easier for other people. To help them.”

            Daisy glared at her for a brief moment before her eyes soften. “Get me to see my dad, and I’ll think about it.” The screen turned black, though Daisy probably still monitored them.

            “She didn’t tell us – oh.” Jemma glanced down at the pad. The contact information for one Cal Johnson, a veterinarian in Milwaukee, was forwarded to her, presumably from Daisy.

            “Best get on that,” Coulson said, smiling a little. It seems Agent Simmons finally met a match for her sass. Maybe it was time to break protocol and meet with Daisy directly. Or arrange to go on this trip.

            Jemma sighed and headed out to start searching for Mister Johnson. Hopefully he wouldn’t be as bad as Daisy said, or angry with them for kidnapping his daughter.

**I0I**

Daisy’s laughter echoed through the hanger. Jemma tried not to rush her, or appear anxious, but after Coulson’s decision to go along and alone, well, she couldn’t help be nervous. They’d been gone for most of the day after arriving in Milwaukee, returning just as the sun was setting. Coulson even took Lola, probably his most prized possession. This left Jemma to focus on several projects placed on hold since her switch to field agent. She spent some time training with the Inhumans, but nothing more than maintenance with their skills.

            “Everything okay?” Jemma asked as she met them in the hanger. She cataloged everything about Daisy, visually ticking off behavioral factors in an effort to determine the veracity of her response.

            “Yeah,” Daisy said though her laughter.

            “And there weren’t any problems?” Jemma asked, switching to look at Coulson. The director shook his head, offering a smile.

            “Mister Johnson agreed that we should have a better approach, and we worked out a method to help Inhumans that don’t want to be brought in,” Coulson said, holding out a pad. Presuming the pad held the new plan, Jemma took it, but didn’t read it. She kept watching the smile play across Daisy’s lips.

            “He told me to play nice with you, what with the whole kidnapping ring you got going,” Daisy said, waving a hand at her. “Plus he wants to know what’s attacking us too.”

            “Excellent,” Jemma said. She felt her lips involuntarily return the smile. “Then how about I show you some more permanent quarters and give you a brief tour.”

            Daisy arched an eyebrow. “You mean I actually get to move out of the cell?”

            “Well, you have things under control, and I do believe we have a prototype to help you. Not to say that you need help, but the feedback from your powers could be detrimental. In the long-run mind you. Plus, as you use them more, your system may not be able to fully cope on its own.”

            “So I get cool spy toys a well?” Daisy’s eyes lit up. She glanced between her and Coulson. She started to bounce on her feet as she waited for an answer.

            Of course, Coulson had to rain on their parade. “You do – after you go through intake.”

            Jemma’s eyebrows shot up to nearly her forehead. Daisy stared in fascination. They’d never drawn her to a woman before, but damn if the eyebrows didn’t have game of their own. She nearly missed the pretty scientist’s response.

            “We’ve already placed her through enough scrutiny. Sir.” She spoke the last word as if it were an afterthought. “What more could the process tell us that we don’t already know?”

            “This is protocol,” Coulson said, holding up a hand to stop her from interrupting. “I apologize Miss Johnson, but everyone – even our consultants – go through an intake process.”

            “Even Stark?” Daisy asked. Coulson sighed in exasperation.

            “No, but Stark never follows protocol,” Coulson admitted. Her knowledge of SHIELD could be a problem, had she not agree to work with them.

            “Fine, but Jemma gets to do it.” Daisy thumbed at the now silent scientist. Coulson stared at Daisy, long enough to make both women uncomfortable. His evaluation must have rendered some result though.

            “That is acceptable,” Coulson said to her before turning to Jemma, “please let me know when you’re done.”

            “Yes sir.” Jemma offered Daisy a smile. The one she received Daisy was lighter, and she had to look away before she said something foolish. “Follow me, please.”

            “Sure thing,” Daisy waved at Coulson before she followed the cute scientist.

            The base was large, probably larger than a subterrain living space should be. It had a hangar that took up probably an entire city block. Not that Daisy noticed much about the specifics of the base. Jemma’s nervous chatter as they walked through the halls was enough of a welcome distraction.  

            This was not the life she expected. She was happy – ish. Her job was good, even if she spent too much time cooking things she hated and mixing drinks for idiots. She didn’t’ get in trouble with the law, and she had a pretty stable relationship with her father.

            Except things went to the shitter faster than some of jerks trying the five-alarm, five-ghost chili challenge at the bar. Now she was in the underground base (lair?) of a secret organization following a very attractive young lady to let her show her around and presumably run some tests. The following attractive people was not unfamiliar, but tests were never her strengths.

            “Now then,” Jemma stopped in an empty room filled with laboratory equipment. She reached over and grabbed a tablet from a nearby table. An easy smile spread across her face, and Daisy could not help but mirror the smile. “Ready to begin?”

            Yeah she was definitely a sucker for a pretty face.

            “Lay it on my princess.”

**Author's Note:**

> I own nothing, and that is sad. But I got to tell this story and share it with all of you, so that's good. 
> 
> Good night and good luck.


End file.
